Memories of Simplicity
by OniGirl13
Summary: It wasn't always bad. For a time she had been happy and content with her life, ever since he had saved her. However Annabel soon finds that pasts aren't as easy to forget as she would have hoped, and sometimes, we cannot escape...
1. Chapter 1

It's all really better this way.

That's what had been decided. She was sure that once she took that finally step that everything would seem to be better, nothing would change, no one would miss her and she would be somewhere where she would never be able to hut anyone again.

The rain fell in heavy sheets, making it nearly impossible for one to see even a few feet in front of themselves and with the rain came a wind with a horrible jagged bit that cut through you as if you were nothing. It was the perfect scene for the events that were about to transpire, almost to perfect. In this heavy downpour no one would be out with this heavy rain so there would be no one to interfere. Not that she expected anyone to interrupt her plans let alone care. What would it matter if she died?

She had asked herself this question time and time again and had yet to come up with a suitable answer, not a single reason for her to continue with this life. It wouldn't matter if she died because nothing would change; no one would care let alone notice. She was just a body which took up space in this existence; her absence would not affect anything or anyone. There would be no record of a missing girl, no one who she would leave to mourn over a grave side. In a way she was doing the world a favor. In a way this was for the sake of bettering the world and those who lived in it. She was ridding them of a hindrance, a useless soul with no where to go in the world and right now, that didn't seem so bad. It wouldn't be hard, and it would be over quickly. In one swoop all of her pain and anger, all of her heart ache and loneliness would disappear and never plague her again. In just one motion it would all end forever, and she felt no sorrow. She would leave no one to mourn over her grave and no one to notice her presence had vanished. There would be no one to ask where she had gone or why and no one that would think twice about the matter. No one would care.

That fact stung her, but she didn't know why. It was only something that was true, a fact of life that was unavoidable and unchangeable. And, with the people she had hurt and the things that she had done there was truly nothing that gave her reason to think that anyone would give a damn. The family of those people, would forever curse her name whether or not they truly knew it were her. They would never forgive. Their scorn would live forever and the look that they had held in their eyes would be a haunting memory of what she had taken from them. She could remember the man who had given the order telling her that it would get easier with time, that soon it would be no different then killing a bug.

She could feel tears breaking free from behind her crimson colored eyes, eyes that would forever see only the blood that her hands had drawn. Her eyes hidden behind her silver colored hair, wet with rain and clinging to every piece of skin they came into contact with. Like her hair her plain white dress was soaked with water and added to the wind it felt as if the elements themselves were doing all in their power to tear her apart from where she stood, though she would not deny that she felt all to deserving. She was what they had said she was, a monster, a being created without a purpose other than to serve her master blindly with respect and reverence, how could they tell her such a thing? There was nothing that would make her think herself the least bit human but she would not be a monster for them, that was a path that she could not bear any longer. To serve a master whom was the devil in human skin as a monster was something she would never consent to, and that was the part that made her feel as if there were some hope that she could be human. A single ray of hope that would let her believe that she could be a person with thoughts and feelings not controlled by the man that had made her; anything that would make her feel as if she could be connected to the world.

However, who in this world would want a person like her? Who would want one with blood staining their hands and a past following them around every corner? No one deserved that, no one on this earth deserved to have her fate on their shoulders as well. No, if anyone were to carry the burden of what she had done it would be her, but still, there was a part of her, a single shred of herself that longed for someone…anyone to think that she could be human. All she wanted was for someone to see that she was sorry for what she had done and accept her, just one person.

This person would never come though; she could spend a life time waiting and never see the person who could see her. Looking down at her hands she felt her stomach twist in disgust. Even in this rain, even though she had washed these hands more times than she could count all she could see was the red that would stain them forever. All she could see was the blood of the men that she had slaughtered in cold blood at the whim of a wicked man. He had called her a good child and had said many kind things to her but he didn't mean a single word of it, all he wanted her to do was to continue killing for him and then one day after her purpose was gone be thrown away like a useless tool. That wasn't the existence that she wanted.

Allowing her hands to dropped limply back to her sides she stepped forward and peered over the rail into the swirling black abyss that waited below. A dark and powerful river lay below her and twisted and spat like some deranged animal as it rushed by below her, feed and nourished by the relentless rain and not caring anything for the world that surrounded it. She looked again at the bridge on which she stood. It was a good bridge. It had survived much and still stood as a passage over the demon the lay far below and it had allowed her to spend her time standing to do nothing more than gaze into the depths beneath and think everything over. It had allowed her to come to her final conclusion. She wanted all of it to end but before it did she wanted to make sure that she would remember this bridge and everything about it. Though it were not alive, it did not breath or have life it was still the only place that had not rejected her and she owed it much for simply that and now it would be the instrument that would help her to do the world a great service. It was going to take her out of this world

Her eyes were fixed on nothing but the twisting oblivion that lay stretched beneath her. No longer could she feel the painful sting of the cold rain nor the vicious bite of the wind, all of her senses had seemed to fail her as she knew that the end was near. In a way, it was comforting. Knowing that she would not see tomorrow didn't bother her, in fact it comforted her more than any other thought that she had ever had. The thought of it all ending made her feel that she would finally be doing something right, that dying was her way of aiding the world. In this way she was helping and perhaps in some way her death would some how help her to repent for those she had killed and let their families rest knowing that the one who had murdered their loved ones had sent herself to death. It would all be alright.

Death seemed like a logical way out of the hell that the world had become, the demon she'd become. What was the point in living anymore, you either grew up to fight or die, there was no medium and no in between, only what was there. There wasn't anything else for her in the world, not like it would have made the slightest difference. Death was the quickest escape she could muster. There wouldn't be even one person who would remember her so she would merely cease to exist and all that she was would amount to nothing and now, that was fine with her. She deserved everything and wanted nothing more than to have it all end.

Slowly she climbed atop the rail that separated her from the beast that called to her from below, the beast that would swallow her up like she were nothing. She had prepared herself for this moment for a long time, she had prepared herself for the death that awaited her so far below and she felt happy. There was nothing that saddened her about what she was going to do, nothing that made her feel as if that this was the wrong choice. She was nothing more than an invention after all, a creation that had been made in human form by a man who wanted nothing other then death and destruction. This was the best way…the only way out of this hell that she had been brought into.

With one last breath she stepped forward, already prepared for what she knew would follow, for just a moment feeling the rush of hovering still in air like she was suspended above everything and free from the pain. But, what she had expected did not happen. As if out of no where a hand had grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her back over the rail of the bridge, away from everything she had prepared for, away from her only escape. Looking back she wanted to see the one who had stopped her, she wanted to see who had just pulled her away from her premeditated suicide, who had stopped her just now before she could end it all? Her eyes met the concerned gaze that of a man with light blue eyes along with long silver hair and a pair of square framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. From the looks of it he had been out in the storm just as long as she had, his clothing completely soaked through and his hair sticking to anything it could reach.

"What in the world are you think?"

She heard what he said, but she couldn't answer. Not only had this man seemingly come out of now where and pulled her from a death that she rightly deserved but now he seemed almost concerned about her. Who was this man?

"Are you alright?"

Slowly she nodded as she pushed herself to her feet, not taking her eyes off of this new man. Where on earth had he come from? He had not been here when she had decided to jump and there was no way that he would have been able to see her through the rain, he was shouting just to be able to be heard above it. There was something to him that the other people that she had encountered did not posses, a certain air of concern and kindness that was not often showed towards her, but none the less she could feel her rage beginning to build. She had had everything planned and she had been all too well prepared for death and he had come and stopped her. He had had no place to keep her from doing what she had intended, he had just gotten in the way.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she yelled angrily. "I was about to end it all, I was about to finally find release from this hell. Why did you stop me?!"

He looked taken aback by this, apparently not expecting her outburst. Normally when you saved ones life they are more happy then angry, but not the girl that stood before him, she was just angry. Or was she? She seemed confused, unsure and all of that was just hidden under her shouts. The only question was what was wrong with her?

"Everything could have been over…I could have finally been free. Why couldn't you have just let me die?"

"Life is something that is precious, why would you be so quick to take yours away?"

"Maybe to you, but it isn't to me. No one cares whether I live or die and I don't want to keep on living this life so why shouldn't I die? It isn't like there is anyone who cares about me?"

"What about your family? I'm sure that they care about you…"

"Are you deaf?! I don't have a family. I don't have anyone. I'm just here without a purpose and everyone's given up on me."

"God never gives up on his children."

She said nothing, what does someone say to a statement like that? It was stupid, there was no god, not if the world had become like this, not if she had been brought into the world the way she had. She was no child of god, she was a test subject created and raised in a laboratory in a place she did not know nor wish to return to. All she was was a tool to be used and then thrown away once the fighting was done and that's always how it would be, that's how tools were used.

"I'm not any child of your god."

"That's not true," he replied with a smile. Why did he look like he cared about what happened after they left this bridge? Who was this man? "God watches over all of us, we're all his children."

"Just go away," she said as she jerked away from him.

"Why don't you come back with me…?"

"I'm not some charity case, now just go away and let me die!"

"Then I guess I'll just head back by myself, however you can follow if you want. I would be oblivious if you were too. I have a wonderfully beautiful hymn stuck in my head and I will most likely be concentrating on that for the entire way," he sighed with a smile and a shrug as he turned and walked back in the direction which she guessed he had come from.

What had that been? Not once, for as long as she could remember, could she recall anyone talking to her as if she were…human. She assumed that anyone who had seen her would merely let her jump, not caring for the troubles of a homeless girl; she had not thought that anyone would have bothered to stop her. But that man, he had gone as far as to do what she thought what was beyond possibility. Looking back down at the angry river below it suddenly scared her. The thought of giving herself to such an entity was now chillingly frightening. She knew now what it was like to be treated like she had feelings, and now that she had had that something about ending her life was no longer an appealing option.

With one last fleeting look at the river she took off after the man, hoping he would not be too far off. Maybe she had just suddenly lost her urge to die, her premeditated attempts having been interrupted convincing her otherwise…or maybe, just maybe, she was drawn by the single fact that despite everything she had said to him he had still treated her with kindness that she was unaccustomed to. Maybe she just wanted to believe in the smallest bit of hope she would ever have to be accepted by someone.

The prospect of it was like a candle, light flickering far in the distance. For so long the candles light seemed far beyond her reach by now, now it seemed all too possible to reach out for it. It seemed possible for her to pursue the flame with some hope of someday reaching its light and warmth. This man, this complete and total stranger whom had pulled her from her death, seemed to be the holder of that single candle, that single ray of hope. Death was no longer her only chance at freedom, he could hold her freedom along with her hope. This man whom she had met just now under a little better than inopportune conditions suddenly seemed to be the one who could hold her entire future, along of course with being the one who had ensure that she had a future.

In one simple act, this man had saved her. Not only from the fingers of death which had wrapped themselves so tightly around her, but from herself, the one person who had given up on her.

**YAY! New story! I've been procrastinating like hell on this for the longest time, but excess free time has caused me to force myself to sit down and have a good writing period. I decided to go prequel first; it makes more sense that way and is a bit easier to write. Now all of this will seem amazingly confusing later on if you have not read ****Not All Things Are What They Seem**** which can be found on my account. Please review!!! **


	2. Chapter 2

She sat still as stone in the straight back chair as she looked up at the figures who stood around her, all examining her with curious eyes. Her hands were folded in her lap, her hair had begun to dry and there was a towel around her shoulders. What was she supposed to think of these people? None of them could be much older than her, the oldest looking one there didn't even look to have breached the age of thirty yet and herself being about eighteen. At least, that's how long ago they had told her she had been in existence, how many years she had been raised as a tool.

''Red eyes?"

''Silver hair?"

"She's so thin."

"Where did you say you found her Abel?"

The silver haired man simply offered a shrug and a smile before replying, "I didn't find her, she followed me back."

Everyone then turned their attention to the eighteen year old who did nothing but return their gaze. She didn't like them all looking at nothing but her. Shifting uncomfortably in the straight backed chair she glanced back at the man she had followed who just as he had been doing since they arrived, smiling. She was beginning to think he did nothing else.

She didn't give answers or reply to any of their comments and questions, nor did she intend to. There was no reason to tell any of them anything, she barely even knew the man that she had followed here. What was she, a stray dog? She had might as well be the way that they were all talking about her. Maybe she had made the wrong choice in coming here, maybe it would have just been better to walk away from the man and gone back to… That was right, there was no where to go back to. She couldn't very well return to the place she had been running away from in the first place and there was no other place that she could have gone so maybe this wasn't so bad. At least she was out of the rain and despite all their comments, none of them really seemed like bad people.

The man whom she had followed back stood quietly at the back of the group, smiling. She had no idea why he was smiling by he was none the less. He was really a strange person, and the people he knew were even stranger.

It was a little odd. Never before had anyone really cared to pay her a second glance and now there was a group of people looking at her as if she were a picture hanging on the wall. She would have never thought that anyone would ever look at her like that but alas here she sat amongst these people. However; she realized quickly that maybe being a spectral figure in society wasn't so bad. She hated there eyes staring down at her with curiosity and wonder. Not as if she were a picture on a wall but as if she were an odd animal on display and they had all merely come to gawk at her. All of a sudden she felt choked and stifled under the weight of their stares; she no longer wished to be at the center of this group with her every move being watched.

"Abel, how do you come back with someone following you without your knowledge?"

"I suppose I was just distracted with other things."

"I think our first order of business is to find out where she's come from," a man with a pipe held between his teeth finally said after a short interlude. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any," she replied simply as she watched a wave of nervous glances go around the room.

"Well where are you living?"

"Nowhere, I don't have a home."

Another wave of uneasy looks circled the room as the man questioning her turned and whispered something to the woman who appeared to be in charge of the matter. Once again, all eyes were back on her.

"Well Caterina, what are we going to do?"

The woman looked troubled, no one could really blame her. An eighteen year old who had only an hour before tried to take her own life had simply shown up on her doorstep. Admittedly it was all a bit overwhelming.

"We can't just turn her away, so for now I suppose she will stay here."

"You don't need to do that," she replied as she rose from the chair, anxious to get away from their watching eyes.

"Nonsense," the man she had followed back here. "What kind of people would we be if we sent you back out in this weather?"

"I don't want to be a burden to anyone anymore," she sighed as her eyes fell to the floor.

"Don't be silly," another man said with a smile.

"Then it's decided," the woman whose office they were in as she sat tiredly behind her desk, rubbing her temples.

"Follow me then and I'll show you where you can stay."

She looked up at the smiling man who was motioning for her to follow him, which she did without hesitation, wanting nothing more than to be away from the prying eyes of the others. The building seemed even larger now that she was walking through the large hallways. Silently she wondered to herself if they would able to find her here, for some reason it seemed like the last thing she would do.

"Here we are!"

The man's voice broke her from her thoughts to let her know they had reached their destination.

"I really don't want to be any burden to anyone," she replied softly.

"Don't be silly," he replied lightly. "It's no problem at all."

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked curiously.

"Why are you all being so kind to me? I'm a complete stranger."

"I'll be back to get you soon," he smiled as he turned down the hall and walked away, waving kindly over his shoulder.

Now she stood alone in front of the door not sure entirely what to do now. Slowly she pushed the door open to reveal the room it concealed. It was a nice room, not large not small and it had a very warm, almost welcoming, presence to it. Never before had she been in place such as this. It almost made her feel, happy, as if she had never really been feeling emotion till now.

Looking at the bed that rested against the far wall something caught her eye. Slowly, as if expecting something to jump out at her at any moment, she carefully made her way across the room to the bed. Picking up what she had seen she saw it to be a simple dark blue nightgown. She looked down at her still drenched clothes and allowed a gentle sigh to escape past her lips.

Quickly she was changed out of her wet dress and into the nightgown, which felt much better then her previous wet garments. Now, she really didn't know what to do. Sitting down on the bed she looked around the room, trying to decide what her next course of action should be. In doing this she caught a flash of her own reflection in a mirror on the wall on her right.

Rising to her feet she walked over to the mirror, trying to remember the last time she had looked into one, if ever. It was odd looking in only to see herself staring back. They had all been right, everything they had said.

She looked odd, her eyes the color of freshly shed blood and her hair silver like the moon and hung to her waist. Her skin was like porcelain and her skin looked as if it were a size to small for her skeleton, she looked stretched and skinny. The thin straps of the dress she now wore only seemed to amplify how thin her shoulders really were.

Sighing again she looked absentmindly at her hands, as thin as the rest of her. There was so much those hands had done, would these people really allow her to stay here if they knew what she had done, what she was?

A sharp knocking pulled her from her thoughts and pulled her attention away from the mirror to the door.

"Come in," she called as she turned to face the door to see the same smile she had seen all night.

"Are you hungry?"

Slowly she nodded as she realized she had not eaten anything all day. Seeing him motion for her to follow him she quickly did so, not wanting to lose him around any turns.

Moments later it seemed they were both sitting at a long wooden table, her staring at her plate as she slowly picked at the contents while he, for the first time since they had met, had her fixed with a serious expression.

"Is it true you have no family, relations or home?"

She nodded, not taking her attention away from her plate, she didn't want to have to meet his eyes.

"In that case," he smiled sheepishly at her, "you'll just have to stay here for now."

Her head instantly snapped up, unsure whether or not to believe him. This was all so new to her, people who seemed willing, almost happy to help her not knowing the first thing about her. No one had ever tried to help her before.

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that..."

"Don't be silly, it's no problem at all."

He hadn't stopped saying that all this time, like a broken record, since he had met her. That was proof enough that he had no idea what she was.

"You don't understand, I'm not what you think. I'm a monster..."

"What are you talking about," he replied gently, "you don't look like any monster to me."

It was as if her mind had detached from the rest of her body. She didn't here her fork clatter against her plate as it slipped from her grasp or his questions if she was alright. He could never know how much those words meant to he. For the first time in her life someone had said that to her, for the first time someone had said she was not what she had come to accept she was.

"Are you alright?"

He sounded worried. Unsure really how she had pulled her mind and body back into sync she looked up at him and for the first time in a long time she smiled. Words could never describe how happy she felt at that moment, how glad she was that she had chosen to follow him back from the bridge, and oddly, how happy she was that she was alive. This morning she had been completely resolute on killing herself and now that seemed almost out of the question entirely. She…wanted to live. She wanted to see what the next day held and, with the simplest thought that she would see him again tomorrow she wanted more than anything to see it come. For the first time in her life she truly wanted to live on just the way she was.

"Yes," she answered finally, smile still on her lips. "I've never been better."

He smiled before speaking again. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"My name in Annabel."

Never before had she been so glad to willing tell another her name, something she had kept like a close guarded secret. It was something people usually didn't need to know about her, an insignificant add on that was only to be used on selected occasions and of course when they had told her too. She had never liked people to know her name, a sort of defense she had put up against the world, and slowly those defenses had begun to crumble away since he had saved her from jumping from the bridge. Since she had met him, some hope for the world had arisen in her and made her…almost glad.

"My name is Abel Nightroad. I'm very pleased to meet you Annabel."

**Holy hell this chapter took freaking forever to get up, though I haven't exactly had the best luck. Half of this was written on my mom's handheld while we were once again trying to save my dying computer, which we managed and I'm ecstatic. But anyway here is a long overdue chapter and hopefully the next one will come a lot quicker than this one did. Enjoy!!! (p.s. review! They make me smile)**


	3. Chapter 3

It was soft, and really warm, it smelt good too. She had no real idea where she was, still caught in the medium of sleep and consciousness, struggling to familiarize herself with her current surroundings. Where was she, or more importantly, where had she been?

There had been rain, lots of that and then, the bridge, she'd stepped off of it and then… She quickly sat upright as her eyes spun around the room only to be immediately blinded by the sheer brightness of the room around her. After a moment she adjusted to the change and began trying to verify if she was really remembering the events of the previous night correctly, and unfortunately, she was. Covering her face with a hand she fell back onto the bed, an annoyed groan issuing from her lips, she hadn't killed herself after all. But the real question was why she had not gone through with it; it wasn't as if she hadn't prepared for it.

Yes, that was right. That man she had met on the bridge had saved her and brought her back here so, that must be where she was, wasn't it? Allowing her hand to slid easily from her face she looked around the room. Slowly it was filling with the first rays of light peaking over the horizon, dawn had barely broken; it would be a good hour before the sun reclaimed the sky.

She could hardly believe it, she could hardly believe everything that had happened to her in less than a twenty four hour period, and to think that if that man had never come along, she would be resting at the bottom of the river instead of where she had apparently taken up residence for the night. Sitting up she looked up at the door before slowly tracing the wall to the window, then around the rest of the room to the door again, taking note of the scattered and off subject picture hanging around the perimeter to the wall. It was a nice room.

Now the only question was where she was going to go from here. The longer she stayed here, the more dangerous it was, though it could always be more dangerous on the streets than it would be in a place such as this but it would still be wrong of her to put these people in danger. They were still out there after all, and they had not exactly been thrilled when she had run off. Every now and again, she could see them, looming in the shadows and waiting for her guard to drop enough to move in a strike. She had been careful to not give them that chance.

Slowly rising to her feet she walked with an odd air of silence to the door, listening carefully to see if there was anyone in the hallway outside. Her waiting ear was met with only silence so she decided that she would continue as she had planned. Gently pushing the door open she checked the hall once more before venturing beyond the security of the room. Of course every hallway in this entire building probably looked the same so finding a way out of it would probably not be easy, but not impossible. Taking a finally look at the door she took of the hall in a light run, her feet making absolutely no sound on the stone floors beneath them. All of these years she had been raised to be an expert of breaking and entering, why should doing them in reverse be any different?

She could never stay in one place for any extensive period of time, if she did they would be sure to find her and when they did there was no telling what they would do to those who she was found with. It was better if she just left, no goodbyes would be necessary and if she could manage to get out before anyone noticed her absence it would make things a lot easier for everyone. They wouldn't understand it at first but it was going to be better for the long run if it was like she had never been here, and if she had never met that man.

The thought slowed her body to a slow stop as she remembered the first time she saw him, the first time she had seen his friendly smile turned upon her. she hugged herself at the something as simple as the thought of it, the first act of warmth towards her since long before she could remember.

"She's not a child Abel, I doubt that she wants to stay here to be watched…"

"I would still feel better if we just kept an eye on her for the next few days…"

Annabel could do nothing more than stand lifelessly in the center of the hall, unsure what she was to do now. He…he wanted her to stay? No, that was stupid, who would want to keep her around? Things would be better if she wasn't alive, people would be better off without her. With that, she resumed her course towards the exit, knowing she would feel better once she was out of this place. Yet, as she ran, all she could see was his face, still smiling down at her.

The days seemed to pass more slowly since she had left the church. Every now and then she would catch herself wondering what the silver haired priest was doing, curious as to how he was. He'd been the first to show any form of genuine concern towards her. These thoughts brought their own question to mind: why was she still thinking about that day?

Normally she did her best to forget about the people she had contact with, it made moving on easier. However; for some reason she could not rid herself of the face of the man who had saved her life. It had never been hard to move on and away from other people, it was odd to feel…attachment to someone, even if it was someone she barely knew.

Though it had been a few days since a heavy rain the dark clouds still dominated the sky, blocking out the rays of the sun, casting dancing shadows over the cobbled streets. It was just as cold as it had ever been, the wind seeming to cut through even the thickest clothing and reach the skin. These condition however did not seem to scare the pigeons away from their regular feeding place in front of the fountain. It was here that Annabel now sat, absentmindedly tossing whatever crumbs of bread she held in her hand to the expectant animals on the sidewalk before her.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Her body stiffened as the familiar voice filled her ears. How the hell had he found her a second time?

"I suppose…"

"No more attempts on your life?"

"I'm afraid you're going to appear out of thin air again…"

The older man laughed at her comment…though she had not intended it to be funny. Before too long a silence had fallen over the two, the only sound coming from the feeding birds who would occasionally call up for more bread. Annabel knew talking to him would only serve to further involve him with her, and that was something she could not do. Abel on the other hand simply sat silently beside her, smiling down at the fowl, knowing if she wanted to talk, she would talk.

"How'd you find me?" she finally asked.

"You are a very unforgettable person Annabel," he replied, smile never faltering.

"Why did you find me?"

"Curiosity I suppose, you left so suddenly, I never got a chance to say good bye."

She didn't answer as she kept her eyes on the birds that hopped from stone to stone, picking up whatever piece of soggy bread they could get. That had been the whole reason she had left the way she had. In it, there was no room for 'thank you' or 'good bye'. Everyone was just allowed to return to life as if nothing had ever happened and that was the way it was supposed to be. However; it seemed that the message had failed to reach the priest who was now sitting beside her.

No, she rationalized. It was purely coincidental, like seeing an old acquaintance on the road and saying hello. There was no point in looking into this, it was chance. Something told her that the other was not really capable of a plan more sophisticated than that.

"Why did you leave so suddenly?"

Now she looked at him. Her expression wasn't really once of anger, just annoyance and a bit of skepticism.

"I didn't feel it right to impose," she answered as she threw another piece of bread to the pigeons who had begun to look at her with large eyes and tilted heads. "Besides, I never had any intention of staying."

Abel nodded slowly to this before asking his next question. "You said you had no home, correct?"

Annabel replied with a yes, eyes on the ground once again.

"So, you have no where to stay?"

She affirmed again but now raised a curious eye to the man sitting beside her. Something told her this was going in a direction she didn't want it to go.

"Then, how would you like to live at the Vatican?"

Honestly she felt as if she should have foreseen this from the moment the other sat down next to her, though maybe she had been hopeful that he would see that she was doing fine and simply leave well enough alone. She clearly was not so lucky.

She had no real desire to live at the Vatican. To put it lightly her and god were not exactly on the best of terms and the thought of living with a bunch of people who worshiped him was not an appealing thought. Then again, it was a place to stay and hide. No one would ever expect her to be living so close to the church. But still, it was a church.

"I'm not sure that would go over well…"

"I assure the people you met your first time there are very nice people."

"That isn't the reason," she replied. "I really just don't like the idea of living in a church."

It would be dangerous to let the conversation linger on any longer and so with her final words she rose to her feet, threw what she had left to the birds and began to walk away. She didn't want his charity, and she certainly didn't want the charity of the church. There were plenty of homeless children who wandered the streets of Rome, if he was so inclined he could take one of them back and give them a home. One homeless child was as good as the next.

Abel made no attempt to follow her, but she heard him call to her.

"Come to the church if you change your mind…"

And with those words ringing in her ears she pushed into the crowd and disappeared.

Weaving between the citizens who navigated the street all she could think of was how pointless the conversation had been. Had he honestly thought that she would simply comply and follow him back again like a lost dog? She wasn't even sure why she had followed him the first time, and look what trouble it had brought her. It was easier to just be alone, it always had been. Living with no attachment was far easier than trying to hold something together.

Lost in her thoughts she continued to walk the streets, not sure where she was going and not caring enough to find a destination. As much as she tried to force herself to forget her conversation with the man she found that the more she wanted to forget the more she remembered. No one had ever come after her before. Spoken to her more than once or showed even the slightest bit of interest in her well being. Why was he different?

Pulling herself from her thoughts she found that the crowd was gone, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the street. Suddenly she felt vulnerable and lonely by herself in the open space. Never before had she felt out of place when she had been on her own as she was now. It scared her how insecure she felt, how dramatically different it was from how she normally felt.

Quickly she moved back to the sidewalk, side almost pressed to the buildings in hopes of keeping herself as small and unnoticed as possible. She tried to push the thoughts of insecurity from her head, only to find they held with even tighter resolve. For the first time in years she understood distinctly and painfully that she had no place to go, no one who was waiting for her to come back, no one to miss her. For the first time she realized how alone she really was. The realization was jarring. Not once had she ever been bothered by the solitude, she even went so far as to purposefully surround herself with it. It was easier when there was no one to miss. But now she seemed to understand what that really meant. She could have died on the bridge that day and no one would have known. The sun would rise and the world would turn just the same as it always had. Nothing would stop and take notice.

Before she knew it, she looked up and felt betrayed for where her feet at led her. Standing against the dark grey of the sky was the towering monolith of the Vatican. Her feet had brought her back like some stray dog that had been offered a scrap of meat, hoping to receive a second act of kindness.

This was why she hadn't wanted kindness. Kindness inspired hope, and it was hope that burrowed into the heart and took hold, steadily growing, waiting to be destroyed. It was better to live without either. No one could hurt you when you hoped for nothing and as Annabel found herself wanting nothing more than to walk through the doors of the church and feel as if she belonged, and she was afraid. She had given up ever believing that she would have a place, to be offered one so freely seemed like a dream.

She turned away, using every last rational thought that she had she turned away and didn't look back. She didn't want hope and she didn't want kindness. All she wanted was to be left alone. But even as she told herself this, the small seed of hope had been planted in her heart.

..::*~*~*~*::..

**So, it's only been, what, three years? **

**Time can really get away from you. I feel really bad because I think this thing had some followers, most of which who have probably lost interest by now. (Or are going to have a heart attack when they see this on alerts) I honestly can't believe how long it's been, but I'm going to try to get this thing back on track and get it finished. :)**


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